Rare Napoleonic Straw Marquetry Box

Low, deep, and wide, this pair of armchairs is exceptionally comfortable, and the gold and black color scheme is very dramatic. What’s most distinctive about them from a design point...

A neoclassical painted and gilded overdoor panel in the manner of Giuseppe Maria Bonzanigo, circa 1790.

This neoclassical trompe l'oeil painting is an allegory of summer. It would have been hung with allegories of the other three seasons over the doors of a salon. Ceres, Roman goddess...

This mahogany commode has the fluted rails and canted corners typical of case furniture made along the coasts of the Baltic and North Seas around 1800. More difficult to pinpoint, however, is the exact place of its making, since this geographical region stretches from Germany to Russia, and north from Poland to Scandinavia. That said, a strikingly similar, if slightly plainer commode in a private German collection bears an old paper label that identifies it as having been made in the city of Altona. It also bears the seal of King Christian VII of Denmark who reigned until 1808. At the time, Altona was in the independent Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein, located between Denmark and Prussia. Both nations tried to annex the Duchy, and in 1848 it was ceded to Prussia, which became part of Germany in 1871. A North Sea port, Altona was a member of the Hanseatic League, an association of seaports that was established in the 14th century to foster trade and police the high seas. Around 1800, the aforementioned King Christian of Denmark, who was also the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, allowed Jews to freely settle in Altona to increase the tax base. This allowed them to conduct business in neighboring Hamburg, a larger financial hub that maintained quotas. The prosperous Jewish families of Altona built villas there, and decorated them with furnishings that were made locally and imported. Many of those makers owned copies of furniture-pattern books, which were widely disseminated among these seaports, accounting for the difficulty in determining if a piece was made in Altona, Stockholm, or St. Petersburg. We can’t trace our commode to a Danish king or a known Altona merchant, but we can link it to the New World empire builders...

Geometric angular design. Cork interior. Three bronze four sided pyramids attached. Unsigned and 'attributed to'. Provenance: Liz O'Brien NYC c.2000.

Beautiful Jean-Michel Frank straw marquetry decorative box from the 1930s. Carved from beech wood fully covered by straw marquetry with radiating patterns. It has been fully restored, with slight traces on the marquetry remaining, and the yellow velvet fabric inside that was pretty damaged has been replaced by a black velvet fabric. The box is unsigned, but really similar in size and pattern to Jean-Michel Frank boxes...

DECORATIVE BOX 01 Inlay scheme: Weave Colour scheme: Ruta Available in individuals colors MATERIALS: MDF, painted rye straw, brass. DIMENSIONS (cm): 20?20x10,5. Packaging dimen...

This beautiful box with straw marquetry is attributed to Jean Michel Frank as it is similar in size and pattern with his work. Box is unsigned but in good condition, red leather back.